Russia's shadow war reaches Delair, the French drone maker arming Ukraine
France has indicted a Belarusian for espionage at Delair, a Toulouse-area drone maker that supplies Ukraine, days after a botched firebombing of the plant, in a case investigators link to suspected Russian interference.
France has indicted a Belarusian for espionage at Delair, a Toulouse-area drone maker that supplies Ukraine, days after a botched firebombing of the plant, in a case investigators link to suspected Russian interference.
French prosecutors have indicted a 48-year-old man, born in Belarus and living in Spain, over the suspected espionage of a drone factory that supplies Ukraine. He was arrested June 3 "while filming a drone prototype of a company supplying the French and Ukrainian armies," the Paris prosecutor's office said, confirming a Le Parisien report. France's domestic intelligence service, the DGSI, established that he had sent the video to a contact in Russia, Le Figaro wrote.
He was placed in pre-trial detention and charged with delivering information to a foreign power, a crime that carries up to 15 years, plus criminal conspiracy, the prosecutor's office said. The same office, which handles foreign-interference cases nationwide, opened a judicial investigation into several "attacks on the fundamental interests of the nation."
The factory belongs to Delair, at Labège near Toulouse. Two days before the arrest, on about June 1, attackers threw Molotov cocktails at the plant, the bottles failed to ignite, and the Toulouse prosecutor opened a separate case, Euromaidan Press reported. Whether the firebombing and the espionage are connected is still under investigation, and the DGSI treats a Russian-directed operation as its leading hypothesis, according to Le Parisien.
Delair builds civil and military drones near Toulouse and became a key supplier to Kyiv after Russia's 2022 invasion, with orders rising since. Its chief executive, Bastien Mancini, told Le Parisien Magazine that military drones drive the company's growth, "everywhere in the world."
Europe is scaling drone output for Ukraine and for its own forces, which puts those plants within reach of sabotage on home soil. Le Parisien has separately tied a wider run of GPS jamming and sabotage to suspected Russian interference across the continent.
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Subscribe Free →The case now sits with an investigating judge tasked with determining whether the Delair arson and the espionage belong to a single file, the prosecutor's office said.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Delair factory?
Attackers threw Molotov cocktails at Delair's plant in Labège near Toulouse around June 1; the bottles failed to ignite and caused little damage, per Euromaidan Press and Le Parisien. Two days later French authorities arrested a man filming a drone prototype at the site.
Who was arrested, and what are the charges?
A 48-year-old man born in Belarus and living in Spain, the Paris prosecutor's office said. He is indicted for delivering information to a foreign power, Russia, a crime carrying up to 15 years, plus criminal conspiracy, and is held in pre-trial detention, Le Figaro and Midi Libre reported.
What does Delair make, and for whom?
Delair builds civil and military drones near Toulouse and supplies both the French and Ukrainian armies, according to the Paris prosecutor's office and Le Parisien. The company's orders have climbed since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Is the attack confirmed to be Russian?
Not formally. France's DGSI established that the suspect sent a video to a contact in Russia, the prosecutor's office said, and a Russian-directed operation is investigators' leading hypothesis, per Le Parisien. Whether the firebombing and the espionage are linked is still under investigation.
Why does this matter for Europe's defense industry?
Europe is scaling drone production for Ukraine and for its own forces, which turns those factories into targets at home. Le Parisien has tied a broader wave of GPS jamming and sabotage to suspected Russian interference across the continent.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.